Solitary or in small clusters, growing at or near the base of Monterey pine stumps or on wood chips; fruiting in late summer.

Edibility

Unknown.

Comments

This bright yellow bolete is a uncommon and striking find. Unusual for boletes in our area, it appears before the fall rains, perhaps utilizing moisture from the dying roots of Monterey pine stumps near which it fruits. Thiers originally described this species as having red pores, but later amended the description to cover a variant that has yellowish to yellowish-brown pores. Local material fits the amended description. An interesting aspect of this mushroom is that fresh material bruises blue quickly, but at maturity, the bluing reaction becomes faint or nonexistent.

Boletus orovillus is closely related to the European Buchwaldoboletus lignicola and Buchwaldoboletus sphaerocephalus, and will probably eventually be transferred to that genus. It differs from the European species by its visid rather than dry cap and shorter spores.